MANAMA: Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, will operate charter flights from today to transport Bahrainis stranded in Iraq.
The airline announced last night that the recovery flights will depart from Najaf International Airport to Bahrain International Airport and will continue until next Tuesday.
“Most of these recovery flights are operating with the same flight numbers and at the same time as the originally scheduled flights,” said the airline in a statement.
Passengers not holding Gulf Air tickets, who travelled to Iraq by road or via other airlines, have been urged to purchase tickets from Najaf International Airport to board any Gulf Air recovery flight.
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“Gulf Air continues to monitor the situation in Iraq very closely,” added the statement. “The safety of passengers and its crews remains the airline’s utmost priority.”
The move follows Tuesday’s vote in Parliament in favour of an urgent proposal to bring back around 1,000 Bahrainis stranded in Iraq after Gulf Air suspended flights amid escalating security tensions.
The flights to Baghdad and Najaf were suspended after a US drone strike killed Iran’s top military commander and leader of its elite Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, on January 3 at Baghdad International Airport.
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